Whatever Kyrie Irving was trying to explain and express, he did an abysmal job of it talking to reporters on Thursday. His public comments were the final straw for Nets management, who hours later suspended him for at least the next five games following his Tweet promoting an antisemitic movie.
Irving turned to Instagram to post his comments and an apology late Thursday night.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckhj8iIu0HN/
Maybe that is the apology Adam Silver was looking for. Maybe that’s the first step the Nets were looking for.
Irving will still serve at least a five-game suspension (his earliest possible return date is Nov. 13 against the Lakers in Los Angeles).
Irving also released a statement along with the Nets and Anti-Defamation League promising to donate $500,000 “toward causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance in our communities.” After Irving’s afternoon press conference the CEO of the ADL said his organization could not accept that money because Irving felt no accountability.
We were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it’s clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions. @ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation.
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) November 4, 2022
That may have changed with Irving’s latest statement.
